4 Ways to Set Up a Tech-Friendly Landing Zone

When I'm running out the door in the mornings, I'm not unusually frantically searching for my wallet, phone, and keys, and that's because upon returning home one of the first things I do is to pull everything out from my pocket. Setting up a landing strip for all your pocket or purse essentials can mean the difference from leaving on time or wasting time. Here are four ways to integrate tech into your front door...Place a Phone Charger/Cradle In Your Landing Zone: With bigger screens and faster connections sucking the life out of your battery, we have to charge our phones at any chance we get less we find ourselves inconveniently out of juice. Make it a habit to plug in your phone the moment you pull everything out of your pockets. Here's an excellent example of a great DIY landing strip with built-in iPhone dock. Even if you don't want to keep a charger by the door, just designating a place where to keep your phone every time you arrive home is highly recommended. The PLANK is is one of our favorite landing strips, as it not only offers a shelf for your phone, but magnetically holds your keys.

Check The Weather: Sure, it's easy to check the weather on your smartphone anytime, anywhere. But if you're like me, I often forget to check the forecast before I head out the door beyond an immediate peek out the window. There are some fantastic looking weather stations, and even some fun non-tech DIY options that make the weather forecast easier to share with the rest of the family. We personally use an old Sony Dash at our place, keeping it always set on the weather setting.

Use an Extra or Old Tablet to Create a Shared Calendar: What's that you say? I'm supposed to pick up the kids at 4pm? The doctor's appointment is at 3? Like I'm supposed to remember any of that as I run out the door with an already busy schedule. A great idea is to put a calendar right by the door for a quick glance before you jeopardize the day's planned agenda. It's especially useful if your family has a connected and shared calendar. So grab a cheap tablet (or an old one if you're always upgrading) and mount it onto the wall as an integral part of your landing strip.

Leave Yourself or Someone an Audio Note: Try adding a voice recorder to your light switch so you don't forget to take out the trash or other errand. You're flipping the light switch on your way out anyway, making the light switch recorder a convenient spot for keeping or leaving an audio note.